


Berceuse

by leoparddapple12



Series: Sensory and Song [3]
Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Anxiety Attacks, Childhood Memories, Coping, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Headcanon, M/M, Multi, Music, Partial Nudity, Post-Canon, Stress Relief
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-04
Updated: 2018-07-04
Packaged: 2019-05-25 11:46:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,232
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14976515
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leoparddapple12/pseuds/leoparddapple12
Summary: There's a lullaby Taako remembers from his childhood. It is a gift best shared with those he loves the most.





	Berceuse

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is set in the same universe/scenario as my two previous TAZ fics, Senses and Memento. I've grouped all of them together in a series "Sensory and Song" for easier reading!
> 
> Also, this fic is rated M due to nudity in one scene.

You don’t have many happy memories of your childhood before you were passed down from relative to relative. While it wasn’t an abusive home you and your sister were raised in, it was still broken and small. There were things from that life that took you decades to heal from, and things you’re still in the process of healing from.

But one of the happiest, and earliest memories you had was of the lullaby your mother used to sing. You still remember being curled up against your mother’s chest next to Lup, and hearing the cadence of your mother’s voice.

The song was an ancient Elvish lullaby, so old you’re certain there isn’t a proper translation of it to common anymore, but you understand it to be about putting all your worries aside in order to rest, and the morning sun will always heal and bring new opportunities. Now, if you think about it, it’s cliche as all gets out, but it was a children’s lullaby.

Even so, the words and melody have always held a significant meaning to you. Both you and Lup would hum or sing the song to yourselves or each other when you needed to organize your thoughts or calm down after a stressful day. It was something you didn’t share with anyone else. No companions on the road, no students at IPRE, or crew on the _Starblaster_.

At least until Cycle 47.

That was the cycle where Lup and Barry Bluejeans confessed their love to reality through their own song. You couldn’t have been happier for either of them. You thought it best not to pry too hard into this chapter in their lives, so you didn’t ask any questions unless Lup wanted to share something.

So to say the least, it surprised you a cycle or two later when you could hear the old lullaby being sung aboard the _Starblaster_ one night. You followed the sound and it led you to the room now being shared by Lup and Barry. The door was open slightly and you could just look into it.

Lup was sitting upright on the bed, her hair down and her chest bare, and she was looking down at something on the bed. Her mouth was open and the song spilled from her lips, as beautiful as it was when your mother sang it a long time ago. She was stroking something, and as you followed the path of her arm down, you saw it was Barry’s head.

You couldn’t see Barry’s face from where you stood, but you did see how his body shook and could hear muffled sobs. A pang of sympathy struck you in that moment, and it melted your heart a little knowing Lup was taking this relic from your childhoods to soothe her lover’s pain. It even seemed to be working; as the song continued, Barry’s sniffles grew quieter and his body eventually relaxed.

As this happened, your eyes met with Lup’s. Only now did you feel like an intruder. But Lup doesn’t do much when she realizes her twin brother is standing outside. A smile crossed her own face and she nodded briefly to you. You give her an awkward wave and smile in turn, and return to your own room on the ship.

You were only a little upset because you were reminded you didn’t have that to share with someone.

That was how things were for a while. Even after your memories of your sister were wiped, you still remembered the melody of that lullaby. Lucretia never heard it or knew where it came from, so it was one less thing she could take from you. You didn’t get close enough to Sazed to share it with him, even when things were good between the two of you.

You only jokingly referenced it to Magnus and Merle when the three of you were in Lucas Miller’s lab. While it was still true you had a childhood lullaby to recite to yourself, it was more personal than the words you uttered in surprise at the sight of Killian and Carey demolishing the robots in the sealed room. Honestly, it was the first excuse you could come up.

When you started dating Kravitz, that was when things felt...different. He actually truly felt like someone you could trust this relic from your past with. It was just about finding the right opportunity to share it with him.

It came not long after the day of Story and Song. He was visiting one evening and he was the most stressed you had ever seen him, continuously shifting in and out of his reaper form.

“Krav-” You grabbed him by the wrists in the middle of his frantic pacing. “Krav, babe, sit down for a sec. Collect yourself.”

Kravitz sat down, perplexed, but shifted back out of his reaper form.

“I know you’re really stressed out right now, and I just had an idea. Just take a breather, babe, and leave it to me.”

He did as you told him, folding his hands in his lap and looking at you with a perplexed expression.

You took a deep breath of your own, since you were attempting to banish the butterfly sensation in your stomach. You didn’t consider yourself that good of a singer; that honor definitely went to Lup, but you had to try.

You began to sing.

It was shaky and uncertain at first, but you gained more confidence as you went on. You closed your eyes about halfway through, lost in the old melody and baffled you were able to reconjure the magic with your own voice.

When you finished, you heard a light gasp and opened your eyes to see Kravitz’s eyes swimming with tears.

“Shit...I made it worse, didn’t I?”

Kravitz shook his head, moving out of his seat to throw his arms around you. His embrace was warm.

“Taako...that was _beautiful!_ That was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever heard!” He pulled away and you saw the smile on his face. Pure, unbounded joy. “I could barely understand what you were singing about but it was absolutely amazing.”

You felt your cheeks become hot. “It’s...an old lullaby my mother sang when I was little. Apparently the dialect of Elvish is ancient or something, and the song is cheesy as hell when you translate it to common.”

“I _loved_ it, Taako. Thank you so much.”

All you could do at that moment was smile back. Knowing you had made his worries melt away with that old song was the most wonderful feeling in the world. 

Maybe this was how Lup felt when Barry was soothed from his panic attacks, or even how your own mother felt a long time ago singing her babies to sleep.

Or, perhaps, this was a special feeling just for you.

* * *

 

_♫ Rest, my precious star_   
_Let your worries fade away_   
_Like the sun at the end of day_   
_Let your courage return_   
_Let your strength renew  
To aid you in new ways_

_Even the sun must rest_   
_For the moon to play its part_   
_The world is strange_   
_Under ivory light_   
_Compared to the sun  
And its golden rays_

_When you wake, my star_   
_You will be ready then_   
_To face your fears head on_   
_But now, you rest_   
_So you may be ready  
To greet the dawn ♫_


End file.
